Person    | Male  Born 26/12/1791  Died 18/10/1871

Charles Babbage

Categories: Science, Seriously Famous

Mathematician and pioneer of the modern computer. Probably born in Crosby Row on what is now Walworth Road. Went to school at Freeman's academy in Enfield.

He was critical, to the point of rudeness, of the Royal Society, its officers and other scientists. Even his friend, Herschel, wrote that he would like to give Babbage "a good slap in the face". After his death he was described as "an irascible genius". Ada Lovelace seems to have been able to cope with him. He died at home, 1 Dorset Street.

Most of him is buried in Kensal Green Cemetery but his brain was felt too special to be allowed to turn to dust. Half is held at the Hunterian Museum and half at the Science Museum. We learnt this at Londonist's splendid post about the Cemetery.

Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them

This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Charles Babbage

Commemorated ati

Charles Babbage - SE17

Plaques really should contain enough information to explain their presence at...

Read More

Charles Babbage - W1

This is where Babbage died.

Read More

Other Subjects

Sir Humphry Davy

Sir Humphry Davy

Chemist. Born Penzance. Wrote "Researches, Chemical and Philosophical". Discovered potassium, sodium, barium, strontium, etc. Invented the safety lamp for coal miners.

Person, Science

1 memorial
Marquis Pierre Simon de La Place

Marquis Pierre Simon de La Place

Pierre-Simon, Marquis de Laplace, was born on 23 March 1749 in Beaumont-en-Auge, Normandy, France, the fourth of the five children of Pierre Laplace and Marie-Anne Laplace née Sochon. His father wa...

Person, Science, France

1 memorial
Henry Cavendish

Henry Cavendish

Chemist. Born in Nice, France, to a British aristocratic family. Became a member of the Royal Society and discovered hydrogen. Following his father's death in 1783 he bought a house on Clapham Comm...

Person, Science, France

2 memorials
Sir Alexander Fleming

Sir Alexander Fleming

Born Lochfield, Scotland. Pharmacologist and bacteriologist who discovered penicillin in 1927. However he did not realise the significance and it was not until 1940 that Florey and Chain demonstrat...

Person, Medicine, Science, Seriously Famous, Scotland

6 memorials
Sir Ronald A. Fisher

Sir Ronald A. Fisher

Statistician, geneticist and evolutionary biologist. Born in East Finchley. His family moved into Hill House in 1896 but in 1906 his father lost his fortune and the family moved to Streatham.In 1...

Person, Science

1 memorial